Abstract
Foreign language (FL) listening comprehension and pronunciation skills appeal to the mastery of the target language’s (TL) sounds and sound patterns. If learners encounter difficulties when listening to the TL, the amount of language serving as input for language learning decreases and they will also have limited opportunities to engage in oral communication. FL listening and production challenges are often explained from a cognitive (e.g. Dupoux & Peperkamp, 2002; De Jong et al., 2012) or articulatory (e.g. Colantoni & Steele, 2008) perspective. Previous studies also show that activities raising learners’ awareness of TL sound patterns benefit both perception and production (e.g. Bradlow et al.,1997; Tsang, 2019). Research findings on sound pattern difficulties and phonics instruction however appear to percolate only slowly and limitedly into educational practice. This contribution brings research and classroom practice together. Taking the productive and perceptive difficulties encountered by Dutch secondary school pupils learning French as a starting point (Brand & Berns, 2023), we further complete the picture with questionnaire results tracing pupils’ and teachers’ perspectives. Our findings confirm the segregated nature of listening comprehension and pronunciation teaching, which seems to directly impact learners’ lack of confidence when producing and listening to word chains. We further discuss the usefulness of attention for sounds and features for various learner groups, the perceived adequacy of textbook listening and speaking activities, and possibilities and limitations for the curriculum. The outcomes are based on the French language classroom, but are also considered in the light of FL learning in general.
Author Information
Janine Berns, Radboud University, Netherlands
Sophie Brand, Radboud Teachers Academy, Netherlands
Paper Information
Conference: ECLL2024
Stream: Applied linguistics research
This paper is part of the ECLL2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Berns J., & Brand S. (2024) The Challenge of Sounds in FL Listening and Speaking: Perspectives From Dutch Learners of French and Their Teachers ISSN: 2188-112X The European Conference on Language Learning 2024: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 77-90) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-112X.2024.7
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-112X.2024.7
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